LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — The New Mexico State University has received a multi-million-dollar grant to study possible geothermal energy sources in Las Cruces.
NMSU announced that, recently, the New Mexico Energy Conservation and Management Division (ECAM) awarded a total of $17.3 million in grants to four projects to harness geothermal energy; NMSU got $2.85 million of those funds to find sources of geothermal energy in Las Cruces.
In case you’re wondering what geothermal energy is, an NMSU press release breaks it down in simple terms so we can all understand:
Think of the Earth as a giant, natural slow cooker. Deep underground, the Earth’s mantle and crust generate about 47 Terawatts of energy – an immense amount of heat. Geothermal energy can be tapped from the upper layers of the Earth and converted into domestic or industrial energy.
This project will allow the department to acquire equipment that will be used to study the ground in Las Cruces and produce a 3D model which can show what areas can be sources of geothermal energy…